You'll love this one...!! A book club & more discussion

One of the group reads for January 2017 is Moon Called by Patricia Briggs. Please discuss the book in this thread.

The discussion leader is Peggy.

In order to receive a badge you must:
1. have completed the book before or during January 2017
2. discussed it in this thread. Discussion must be more than "I read the book and I liked it". Discussion requires something more substantial and analytical of what you read, for example, thoughts, opinions, impact it had on you, what was your favourite part, was it what you expected it to be like etc. You may also like to review the book and post a link to the review in this thread.
3. Report that you have read AND discussed the book in the reporting thread (include a brief summary of what you thought of the book).

General Rules:
1. Please mark your spoilers with the spoiler tags along with mentioning what stage of the book you are at so other's don't get a nasty shock. Chapter numbers/titles are generally best as they are the same across all formats and editions.
2. The book may be combined with the Year Long Challenge, Topplers, and Monthly Challenges.

Happy reading!

I read this a while ago and loved it. It was just what I needed at the time. I've read the whole series since. Hope you all love it!

I read the first chapter this afternoon. Not yet much to comment on, but I think I will enjoy it!

I finished the first two chapters.

I haven't read much fantasy with werewolves and vampires etc., but I find it interesting that in this series (view spoiler)[ people actually know about the fae and they have been introduced to the world. Not successfully though.. (hide spoiler)]

The only other series I read are Twilight and The Iron Druid. Don't remember how it was in Twilight, but in the iron druid (view spoiler)[ people are generally not aware that vampiers etc. actually exist. (hide spoiler)]

In Moon Called, the general public does not know about the existence of werewolves and vampires. One of the challenges for werewolves is keeping their true nature hidden.

I don't read much for fantasy, especially long series, but I really like this one. I also read the Iron Druid series and like that one too.

Casceil, you're right, maybe not vampires and werewolves, but the first chapter does tell about how they know about the 'lesser' beings. I was comparing that to iron druid, where everything magical or supernatural is generally not believed in.

Peggy - It's interesting that you picked up on that right away. That knowing/not knowing plays an important part at different times throughout the series. Also, people just know that some of them are real, but not much about them or who they all are, etc. I like the way that develops with the series.

I read Moon Called a year ago, and while I really enjoyed it, I don't remember much about it. Likely I will have to read it again before I move on to the next book in the series. Maybe this discussion will remind me.

Kristie, I probably noticed because I have only one book to compare it to ;-) I'm looking forward to reading more about it.

You said you read all in the series so far? I looked it up and there are 9 books already!

I wanted to get started on The Muse today too but I'm having too much fun with this one.

I think Mercedes is a great character. I nearly dismissed this series because of the front cover designs thinking it would be another annoying romance filled urban fantasy. I was pleased to be proved wrong.

I've read the book before, but I just started rereading it. I'm noticing things I had forgotten or didn't notice the first time. I really like the way Mercy interacts with Mac. She is careful not to be too friendly, and has him work for everything he gets.

I feel the same about the cover Sarah.

I have, Peggy. There's a new one coming out this year that I want to use for the yearly challenge too.

I agree about the covers! They are terrible. I almost skipped this series because of them too. They do not represent the person Mercy is at all.

Patricia Briggs may not have had much choice on the cover design. But then, I may be mistaken. Some of the foreign editions have better designs.

I've started and enjoying it so far, I can tell I'm really going to like Mercy.

I, like a lot of you, had been put off by the covers and wasn't sure whether to start the series or not. They've been on my tbr for ages and glad this has pushed me into giving it a go.

Lynn - I'm surprised you chose to start an incomplete series. I hope you love it.

I always thought authors were involved in the covers. If I wrote a book I would definitely want the last say about the cover!

Chapter 4: (view spoiler)[ I can't believe Mac was killed! I liked him and I was curious how he would adjust to werewolve life, and I thought he was going to play a major part in the book.. (hide spoiler)]

I can't imagine that she had the final say on the covers. They always make Mercy look all sexy and that's not her personality at all.

Kristie wrote: "Lynn - I'm surprised you chose to start an incomplete series. I hope you love it."

I get the impression this is the kind of series that could go on for years and while you should read in order they can still be seen as standalone stories.

It's the continuing story arc series that I stay away from until they are finished. This type, not so much.

I agree. It could go on forever. Lol. I would definitely read them in order though. Different things happen in certain books that effect the following books.

Peggy wrote: "I always thought authors were involved in the covers. If I wrote a book I would definitely want the last say about the cover!"

It depends on the publisher. If the author is self-published, he/she has complete control. But if it's being published by one of the publishing houses, it would depend on the contract. Publishers are interested primarily in what their marketing specialists deem necessary to sell. If the author's name isn't enough to sell (like Steven King, et al), then they need to rely on covers and titles.

Michael J. Sullivan had different titles for his First Empire series, but Del Rey made him change the titles to ones they felt would be more appealing. While he had some input, they drove the change.

I didn't know, but makes sense. For the publishers it's all about money in the end I guess.

Chapter 5: (view spoiler)[ I wonder what happened to Mercy when she lived in Montana that makes people there dislike her.

Anyone else gets reminded of Jamie in Outlander when reading Mac's real name? MacKenzie Frazier ;-) (hide spoiler)]

I'm halfway through. I don't have specific things to comment on but I just want to keep on reading and reading. I like the characters and I enjoy getting to know them, and I'm curious about what's going on. I'm really enjoying it so far and I'm sure I'll read more of the series this year.

Peggy wrote: "Chapter 4: [spoilers removed]"

Totally felt the same Peggy, (view spoiler)[despite not really knowing him I was upset by his death. I also was upset by Adam and was very glad to realise he'd survived.

I can't decide whether her hunch about his pack his right or not though, will be interesting to find out (hide spoiler)]

I'm about half-way through my reread, and I continue to admire the skill with which the book is written. We learn about werewolves along with Mac, rather than through an info-dump. We learn about the "rules" for werewolves through situations that arise where one or more characters are learning about them.

Re: Peggy's Chapter 4 spoiler: (view spoiler)[ Mac's death was surprising. But his death is an important plot point, and much of what happens later relates to it. I hate it when authors kill off characters without a good reason, just sort of gratuitously, to get an emotional reaction. If you are interested in how Mac's death is avenged, there is a 61 page novella about it, Alpha & Omega, that is well worth reading. (hide spoiler)]

I wonder about that too Lynn!

Casceil, I agree about the writing. I hadn't really noticed but like you say all information we get is part of the story. 'Show, don't tell', isn't that what it's called? I hate it when books just dump the information aside from the story instead of integrating it.

Casceil - Thanks for the tip about (view spoiler)[ Alpha & Omega. I just realized that it is included in Shifting Shadows: Stories from the World of Mercy Thompson, which I own and haven't read yet. It was a good reminder for me. (hide spoiler)]

Chapter 12. Mercy has a theory about what's going on. I don't really get it at this point, not sure if that's me or whether I'm supposed to still not understand.

I finished! I have to say I liked the first part more then when all the action started. I found it a bit confusing and not everything made sense, but maybe I didn't pay enough attention. Still a 4 star read for me.

I'll comment in more detail in a few days when I'm at my computer.

Glad you enjoyed it, Peggy! I think I read it at just the right time for me. I was able to overlook some of the issues that other people may have had. It was just what I needed right then.

I've finished too and really enjoyed it. I love Mercy, she's a brilliant character and the book was full of interesting characters around her.

There was a LOT of information to take in but it did make sense to me. However I can easily see why you might have got confused Peggy, there were a couple of times where I had to re-read.

I could have done without the hint of the love triangle which I suspect is going to be more involved in future books (I even got a sneaky suspicion there may be more than two love interests???)

What I'm really looking forward to in the future books is seeing Mercy learn more about her powers, it's obvious there's a lot more to her than she even knows.

I'm given this 4 stars because the reason behind who was the 'bad guy' and why, I found a bit ........ well naff really. The desired outcome if the plan worked didn't weigh up to the amount of effort and the sacrifice needed in my eyes.

Lynn wrote: "I've finished too and really enjoyed it. I love Mercy, she's a brilliant character and the book was full of interesting characters around her.
. . .
I'm given this 4 stars because the reason behind who was the 'bad guy' and why, I found a bit ........ well naff really. The desired outcome if the plan worked didn't weight up to the amount of effort and the sacrifice needed in my eyes."

Spoiler re ending: (view spoiler)[ I agree that the villain's plan didn't seem to make logical sense, in terms of the desired goal being worth the cost. Gerry clearly had no real understanding of how his dad would react if the plan had worked and the dad had killed Bran. The dad would have been horrified at what he had done. The end did get a bit confusing because there were so many names to remember, and it wasn't easy to remember which ones were with Christiansen and had come over to the right side. (hide spoiler)]

Sounds like an interesting read. I will check it out and hopefully get it finished

My thoughts exactly Casceil.

Lynn, I also wasn't too excited about the love triangle hints. I hope the next books are not going to involve romance..

Book 2 so far is not very romancey. I mean, she's a single, capable, able, intelligent, business woman who kicks arse, so there are small elements, but it's not romancey. Yet.

I am liking Mercy more in book 2 as well. I liked her in the first book, but warming to her more in the second. If that kinda makes sense?

I'm not a big werewolf fan as well it should be noted. I was fascinated in the first book by the potential of the fae in this series. So I kept reading, and am glad I did :)

I will admit in future books I got a bit miffed about some love triangle type stuff, but it never gets too romancey and it does clear up. It is not an ongoing factor throughout the series.

Thanks! Good to know :)

I already had an alternate book picked out, but I cannot pass up on all of the comments for this book, so I bought it last night. I did not realize I could use it for my question list too. Sweet!
Of course, now I need to add the series to my list...

Don't think you'll regret it Cherie, it's a great book :)

Lynn wrote: "Don't think you'll regret it Cherie, it's a great book :)"
Thanks, Lynn!

I think you'll enjoy it Cherie :)

So, I've just started Moon Called tonight, but I'm already three chapters down . . . but, I've really got to go to sleep

I started reading after I got home from work last night fixed dinner. I thought I would put it down after I got sleepy and started to dose off in my chair. I got ready for bed, but could not stop thinking about the book and made the mistake of picking it up again. Yeah, so much for getting a good night's sleep.

I really like the author's story telling technique! The only exposure I have had to werewolves were in The Iron Druid books. I am enjoying the characters in this story - what ever "kind" they are. I like Mercy a lot too. She is not like Coyote in The Iron Druid series. She reminds me of the woman in the TV show about the fae. I watched the first three seasons, but gave up on it then. I cannot remember the name of the show. I have to keep myself from looking at the book cover. Mercy does not feel how that woman on the cover looks, to me.

I ended up at the beginning of Chapter 10 before I grudgingly turned out my light to get a little bit of sleep before I had to get up and be at work by 9:00am this morning.

Glad that you are enjoying it, Cherie! I think Mercy is a really unique character and I agree, definitely NOT like the cover art at all.

I began the book yesterday and so far, I like it! I like Mercy, I never read about a coyote before, I haven't read the Iron Druid, so I don't know much about them so far. I like her description of the werewolves world, much more organised than in some other series.
I don't know about the difference between the "lesser" beings but this is different from what I read so far.
I was very curious about this series because you guys sounded excited to read it and I nearly skipped it because of the awful covers...

Cherie wrote: "She reminds me of the woman in the TV show about the fae."

Lost Girl?

I find it funny that the cover was made this way to sell as many books as possible, but here I just hear everyone say that they almost skipped it because of it.